Vehicle door positioning and locking assembly

ABSTRACT

A vehicle door latching arrangement includes a first latch assembly which is adapted to be carried on a door panel to move therewith. A second latch assembly is adapted to be carried on a door frame structure to cooperate with the first latch assembly in securing the door panel in a closed condition. One of the latch assemblies includes a locking member which can be moved between a latched and an unlatched position, the locking member having a cam follower surface and, spaced therefrom, a latching surface. The other of the two latch assemblies includes a carrier member. A cam member is mounted on this carrier member and has leading and trailing cam surfaces which are aligned to engage the cam follower surface upon respective converging and diverging movements between the two latch assemblies. The second-mentioned latch assembly further includes a latch bolt mounted on the carrier member but spaced from the cam member to align with the locking member latch surface. The latch bolt has a bolt surface that mateably engages the latching surface of the locking member in the latched position.

Unitedv States Patent 1191 Erickson I [75] Inventor: Donald DouglasErickson, Farmers 1 Branch, Tex. [73] Assignee: Monocab, Inc., Garland,Tex. 22 Filed:' May 31,1973

21 1 Appl. No.: 365,414

I [52] 0.8. CI 292/302, 292/254, 292/DIG, 46 [51] Int. Cl. E05c 19/00[58] Field of Search 292/254, 144, 302, 341,15, 292/34l'.l6, 170, DIG.46; 49/449; 70/434 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,133,2543/1915 Backus 292/254 1,144,537 6/1915 Gabriel 292/254 2,614,768 10/1952Shakespeare, 11.... 292/302x 2,863,690 12/1958 Lewin 292/302 3,002,36510/1961 Liljequi'sL. 292/302x 3,599,454 8/1971 Hill.....5 70/434 FOREIGNPATENTS oR APPLICATIONS 72,087 9/1929 Sweden 292/302 1,181,879

2/1970 Great Britain 292/302 111' 3,858,920 Jan. 7, 1975 PrimaryExaminer-Roy D. Frazier Assistant Examiner Peter A.- AschenbrennerAttorney, Agent, or FirmOlson, Trexler, Wolters, Bushnell & Fosse, Ltd.

57 ABSTRACT A vehicle door latching arrangement includes a first of thetwo latch assemblies includes a carrier member.

A cam member is mounted on this carrier member and has leading andtrailing cam surfaces which are aligned to engage the cam followersurface upon respective converging and diverging movements between thetwo latch assemblies. The secondmentioned latch assembly further:includes a latch bolt.

mounted on the carrier member but spaced from the cam member to alignwith the locking member latch surface. The latch bolt has a bolt surfacethat mateably engages the latching surface of the locking mem-' her inthe latched position.

15 Claims, 8 Drawing Figures PATENTEDJAN W5 -3'.858.920

SHEET HP 3 FIG.2

PATENTEDJAN mrs 3,858,920

sum 30F 5 POSITIONING AND LOCKING ASSEMBLY- BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONThis invention relates generally to transportation. ve-

VEI-IICLE DOOR hides and more particularly to latching assemblies for''guideways. Moreover, door latching assemblies for overhead vehiclesrequire means for operation by maintenance or other personnel to permitdischarge of passengers upon system malfunction. Accordingly, animportant object of the present in vention is to provide a safe, secure,dependable latching assembly for use with overhead vehicle door panels.A more general object of the invention is to provide a new and improveddoor latching assembly.

Another object of the invention is to provide a vehicle door latchingassembly which can be mounted inside a vehicular cab yet which can bereadily operated by hand from either the cab interior or the exterior inemergency situations. These and other objects and features of theinvention will become more apparent from a consideration of thefollowing descriptions.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION'OF THE DRAWINGS In order that the principles of theinvention maybe readily understood, a single embodiment thereof, appliedto a dual rail overhead vehicle, but to which the application is not tobe restricted, is shown in the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. I is a perspective view of a railed vehicle incorporating a doorlatching assembly constructed in compliance withthe present invention;

provided with a fixed panel side 24 over which a door 26 is arranged to.slide to afford ingress and egress to the passengers. The rails 22 maybe fastened to groundaffixed crossties or they maybe mounted overhead asis desired. It will be further understood that the door 26 and itsassociated latching assembly may be incorporated in other types ofvehicles such as, for example, suspended monorail cabs.

Turning to a consideration of FIG. 2, the slidable door 26 is' suspendedfrom a track rod 28 by means of fore and aft hangers 30 and 32respectively. The track I rod 28 is mounted in position on the vehicleby means of a forward plate 34 and a suitable number of brackets -36.The plate 34 and the brackets 36 are conveniently fastened to vehiclestructural longeron portions 38, 40 and 42. Lateral, vertical andtorsional deflections of cab and door will not cause the door to bind ifthe door bushings associated with each track rod 28 are carried inspherical mountings 43. In the illustrated embodiment, opening andclosing motion of the door 26 in the direction indicated by thedoubleheaded arrow 44 is directed by a long-stroke air cylinder or jack46 which is fastened to the longeron portions 40 and 42 bymeans ofbrackets 48. This cylinder 46 and other components may, if desired, beconveniently mounted in a service bay in the vehicle top. The operatingair for the cylin- FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the doorlatching assembly of FIG. 1, parts of the vehicular cab being brokenaway to show details of the construction of the latching assembly;

FIG. 3 is a further enlarged view in side .elevation showing the latchparts in the unlatched condition;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to the showing of FIG. 3 but illustrating thecooperation of the forward cam surface and the cam follower immediatelyprior to achievement of the latched condition;

FIG. 5 is a view similar to the showing of FIGS. 3 and 4 butillustrating the latched condition;

FIG. 6 is an end elevational view in cross-section and takensubstantially along the line 6-6 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a view similar to the showing of FIGS. 3-5

but illustrating the action of the trailing cam surface DETAILEDDESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSED EMBODIMENT Referring now in detail to thedrawings, specifically to FIG. 1, a multi-passenger vehicle 20 ismounted for transit on a pair of spaced rails 22. The vehicle 20 is der46 is provided by suitable pneumatic circuitry, not shown, through theairconnections 50 and 52.

If visibility through the doors 24 and 26 is required, each panel isprovided with a glazed opening 54; and in order torestrain the loweredge of the operating 'door 26, a grooved guide 56 is mounted at theedge of the floor of the vehicle to embrace the opposite sides of thelower door edge.

In accordance with the invention, the door latch comprises a first latchassembly 60 which is fastened to the door panel 26 for motion therewithand a second latch assembly 62 fastened to a convenient portion of thedoor frame structure such as the forward plate 34 to coact with thefirst latch assembly 60 in securing the door panel 26 in a closedposition. It will be understood that, by suitable alteration, the secondlatch assembly 62 could be mounted uponthe movable door panel 26 and thefirst latchmeans 60 could be mounted, conversely, upon the fixed doorframe.

form of a plate. Actuation of the latch member 64 is' caused by acam'follower surface 68, embodied as an apertureformed through theplate. A latching surface constitutes a second aperture spaced apartfrom the cam follower surface 68.

The other latch assembly 60 includes a carrier member 74 here indirectlyaffixed to the door 26 for motion therewith. Connected for fore and aftmotion with a piston rod 76 associated with the actuating air cylinder46 is a spearlike cam member 78 which is provided with conically shapedleading and trailing cam surfaces 80 and 82, respectively. As may beenvisioned from FIGS. 3-5 and 7, these cam surfaces 80 and 82 arealigned to engage the cam follower surface 68 formed upon the lockingmember 64 upon respective relative converging and diverging movements ofthe first latch assembly 60 and the second latch assembly 62. Morespecifically, movement of the cam member 78 toward the locking member 64by the piston rod 76 will cause the leading conical cam surface 80 toengage the locking member cam follower surface 68 and force the lockingmember 64 upward in the illustrated device, from a lower latchingposition to an upper unlatching position. As the cam member 78 is pulledaway from the second latch assembly 62 by the action of the piston rod76, the trailing cam surface 82 cooperatively engages the locking-membercam follower surface 68 and forcesthe locking member upwardly from thelocking position illustrated in FIG. to the unlocked positionillustrated in FIG. 7. It will be noted that the locking member 64 isnormally biased into its latched position by a springs 84, as shown inFIG. 6. The latch assembly 60 also includes a latch bolt 86 mounted formotion with the carrier member 74but spaced apart therefrom. A boltchannel surface 88 mateably engages the yoke aperture latching surface70. When this engagement occurs, the locking member 64 holds the bolt 86in its latched position and latches the door 26 in its closed position.

In further accordance with the invention, the latch bolt 86 is rigidlymounted upon the carrier. However,

. limited movement between the latch bolt 86 and the cam member 78 ispermitted. Here, thislimited relative motion is achieved by joumalling ashort pin 90 upon the latch boltand door mounting bracket 92 between thecam member 78 and the piston rod 76. A conical spring 94 or otherbiasing means is interposed between the mounting bracket 92 and a collar96 to normallyposition the cam member 78 relatively in advance of thelocking bolt 86. Thus, when the door 26 is being moved toward the firstlatch assembly 60 into a closed position, the cam member 78 firstengages the locking member 64 and forces the locking member from itsnormally locked position into a temporarily unlocked position, therebypermitting the locking bolt 86 to be easily inserted into its lockedposition in the latch.

Operation of the novel latching assembly is relatively simple, andinvolves a minimum number of moving parts. Upon actuation of appropriatepneumatic circuitry (not shown), the air cylinder rod 76 is thrustrelatively outwardly from the cylinder 46, thereby forcing the firstlatching assembly 60 toward the second latching assembly 62. As theextended cam member 78 enters the cam follower aperture in the lockingmember 64, the cam follower surface 68 is forced from its normallylatched position to a temporarily unlatched position as previouslydescribed. Further closing motion of the second latching means to theleft, as seen in FIGS. 3-6 thrusts the latch bolt 68 into the latchaperture 70. Still further motion of the first latch assembly 60 towardthe second latch assembly 62 permits the cam member 78 to further movethrough the locking member 64 thereby permitting the locking member toreturn to its normally latched position, and causing the locking memberlatching surface 70 to engage the channel surface formed upon thelocking bolt 86.

Latch unlocking is accomplished by. similar easy and economical partmotion. Upon actuation of appropriate pneumatic circuitry, the cylinderrod 76 is withdrawn partially into the pneumatic cylinder 46 or moved tothe right, as shown in FIG. 7. Such withdrawal motion causes the cammember 78 to be pulled partly through the cam follower surface 68against the resilient influence of the spring 94. As the trailing camsurface 82 engages the locking member can following surface 68, thelocking member 64 is' forced upwardly into its temporarily unlockedposition, thereby withdrawing the locking member latching aperture 70from contact with the bolt latching surface 88. Further withdrawingmotion of the piston rod 76 pulls the first latch assembly 60 to theright in FIG. 7 away from the second latch assembly 62 and causes thefirst latch assembly'60 to move further divergently relative to thesecond latch assembly 62 and complete withdrawal of the latch bolt 86and cam member 78 from engagement with the latch member 64.

It is a feature of the invention that this latching mechanism can beeasily altered to either cause the door to be locked or, alternatively,to prevent the door from being lockedwhen it is manually pushed into aclosed position. If it is desired that the door be locked when it ismanually pushed closed, a relatively stiff spring 94 is provided. Thisstiff spring 94 forces the cam member 78 to complete its travel throughthe locking plate cam aperture as the door is closed, thereby causinglocking action to occur. Conversely, a relatively soft spring 94 willpermit the cam member 78 to be forced against the piston rod 76 when.the door is manually closed, thereby preventing the cam member 78 fromfully penetrating the locking member 64, and prohibiting latch lockingaction.

Sensors, in the form of position-responsive electrical switches forexample, can be included in the latch device to indicate the conditionand operation of the latch and associated vehicle door and, if desiredto limit motion of the latch and other parts. As shown in FIG. 2, afirst sensor 100 can be mounted to engage the mounting bracket or-anyother conveniently located part of the first latch assembly 60 when thefirst latch assembly is drawn away from the second latch assembly 62.Actuation of this first sensor 100 can be used, if desired, to terminateoperation of the door-opening pneumatic circuitry, and to provide anindication upon a control or monitor'panel (not shown) or other meansthat complete door opening has occurred. A second sensor 102 (See FIG.3) is provided with a finger. 104 for engaging the cam member 78 andassociated collar 96. Actuation of the sensor 102 can be used toenergize appropriate electrical or other circuitry (not shown) and indicate a door closed but unlatched condition upon the control or monitorpanel. Further, the signal can be used, if desired, to reduce pneumaticinput to the cylinder 46 from a fast opening or closing action to aslower moving action. Such reduction of pneumatic input permits the doorto be moved relatively slowly-as it approaches its completely closed andlatched position or as it initially moves away from its closed andlatched position. This slow motion while the door is near its closed andlatched position minimizes wear and'tear on latch, door, and vehicleparts. Part wear can be further inhibited by forming the collar 96 ofnylon and by including a Neoprene washer 98 at the opposite end of thepin 90.

A third sensor 106 indicates the latched or alternatively unlatchedcondition of the associated locking member 64. Yet another sensor 108engages the tip 110 of the altch bolt 86 and provides an indication thatthe latch bolt 86lllaaaahas been fully received within the second latchassembly 62. In carrying out the invention, the locking member sensor106 and the latch bolt sensor 108 can be connected in a series toindicate that the latch bolt has been received in the second latchassembly 62 and that the locking member 64 has been returned to itslatching position, thereby indicating a fully secured condition for thelatch and associated door 26. Such circuitry can be connected to thevehicle throttle or drive train to prohibit vehicle motion unless thevehicle doors are closed and latched. The circuitry can be convenientlylocated in a service bay in the aft portion of the vehicle.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, provision is madefor unlatching and opening the door 26 by manual action. To this end, anemergency lever l is provided for unlatching and opening the door 26from inside the vehicle 20. The lever 110 is pivotally mounted to aconvenient longeron portion 38, as by a pin 112. A finger 114 is locatedto engage the tip 118 of the cam-member 78, as may be seen particularlyin FIG. 5. A downward pull upon a lever handle 119 (shown in FIG. 3)will correspondingly force the cam member 78 through the locking membercam follower surface 68 in its described unlocking motion, therebycausing unlatching and permitting the door 26 to be opened byappropriate manual. pressure thereupon. Both sides of the air cylinder46 are vented to the atmo sphere to enable the door to move freely oncethe door is manually unlocked from either inside or outside the vehicle.It will be noted that no pneumatic or electric power is required toaccomplish this manual door opening, thus insuring that the vehicledoors can be opened under emergency conditions. If desired, a sensor(not shown) can be located adjacent the emergency lever 110 to monitorits deactivated position. Should the emergency lever 110 be accidentallyor otherwise pulled, thereby unlatching the associated door 26, anappropriate warning switch 120 or other safety device can be activated.

Normally, the handle 110 is held in the up or inactive position by aconveniently formed detent and probe arrangement carried by the handleand adjacent brackets. The handle 110 can be hidden above the vehiclepassenger compartment ceiling behind a marked access panel.

It is a feature of the invention that the door also can be unlatched andopened from a position outside the car by service or other personnel. Asis shown in FIG. 8, a vehicle side 121 is provided with an aperture 122,through which a tool 124 can be inserted for pivoting engagement withthe longeron 38 or other convenient part. The tool 124 is provided withan arm 128 mounted for interposition in front of the tip 118 of the cammember 78. Attachment and rotation of a tool handle 130 will cause thearm 128 to force the cam member 78 through its unlatching motion, andrender the door unlatched for appropriate manual opening motion.

The invention is claimed as follows:

1. A vehicle door latching assembly for securing a vehicle door in aclosed position on a vehicle cab, comprising: first latch means andsecond latch means, the first latch means including a locking membermovable between a latched and an unlatched position, and the lockingmember having a cam follower surface and a latching surface spaced fromsaid cam follower surface, the second latch means including a carriermember, and a cam member mounted on said carrier member, the cam memberhaving leading and trailing cam surfaces aligned to respectively engagesaid first means locking member cam follower surface upon relativeconverging and diverging movements between said first and second latchmeans for moving said locking member between the latched and unlatchedpositions, said second latch means further including a latch boltmounted on said carrier member spaced from said cam member and having abolt surface mateably engaging the latching surface of said lockingmember in the latched position. 7

2. A vehicle door latching assembly according to claim 1 wherein saidfirst latch means further includes guide means for directing themovement of said locking member and biasing means for urging saidlocking member into the latched position.

3. A vehicle door latching assembly according to claim 2 wherein saidbiasing means is a spring.

4. A vehicle door latching assembly according to claim 2 wherein saidsecond latch means further includes means for movably mounting said cammember on said carrier member.

5. A vehicle door latching assembly according to claim 4 wherein saidmounting means includes biasing means for urging the cam member into anextended position relative to said'latch bolt.

6.A vehicle door latching assembly according to claim 1 wherein saidfirst latch means includes a yoke defining said latching surface andsaid second latch means includes a channel defining said bolt surface tocooperate with said yoke.

7. A vehicle door latching assembly according to claim 1 wherein saidsecond latch means further includes means for rigidly mounting :said cammember on said carrier member.

8. A vehicle door latching assembly according to claim 7 wherein saidsecond latch means further includes means for connecting said cam memberto said carrier member to permit limited motion relative to saidcarrier.

9. A vehicle door latching assembly according to claim 1 wherein saidlatching assembly further comprises tool-engageable means on saidcarrier member for use in manually moving said cam member from thelatched to the unlatched position.

10. A vehicle door latching assembly according to claim 1 wherein saidlocking member is a plate and wherein said plate is provided with afirst and second aperture therethrough defining respectively said camfollower surface and said latching surface.

11. A vehicle door latching assembly according to claim 10 wherein saidcam surfaces are conical to cooperate with the edges of said firstaperture.

12. A vehicle door latching assembly according to claim 11 wherein saidcam surfaces are oppositely tapered.

13. A vehicle door latching assembly according to claim '1 includingfirst sensor means adapted to sense the location of said locking memberin its latched position, and second sensor means adapted to sense thelocation of said latch bolt in a latched position, and meansinterconnecting the first and second sensor means with the vehicle toprohibit motion of the vehicle unless the locking member and the latchbolt are both located in their respective latched positions.

14. A vehicle door latching arrangement for securing a vehicle door in aclosed position on a vehicle cab, comprising first latch means andsecond latch means,

bi-actutable power means for moving said first and second latch meansrelatively convergently and divergently, thefirst latch means includinga locking member movable between a locked and an unlocked position andhaving a latching surface and a cam follower surface, the secondlatching means having a locking member-engaging bolt member and a cammember movable through a limited range of motion relative to but spacedapart from the bolt member, the second latch further including means formoving the cam member to a position, relative to the bolt member, toengage the locking member cam follower surface and move the lockingmember into an unlocked position prior to location of the bolt member inits locking member-engaging position when the power means is actuated tomove the first and second latch means convergently, and means for movingthe cam member to a position, relative to the bolt member, to engage thelocking member cam follower surface and move the locking member into anunlocked position prior to withdrawal of the bolt member from thelocking member-engaging position when the power means is actuated tomove the first and second latch means divergently.

15. A vehicle door latching arrangement for securing a sliding vehicledoor in a closed position on a vehicle cab, comprising first latch meansand second latch means, the first latch means including a locking membermovable between a locked and unlocked position and having a latchingsurface and a cam follower surface, the second latch means having a boltmember oriented for movement into and out of a locking position forengagement by the locking member latching surface and a cam membermovable through a limited range of motion relative to the bolt member,the latching arrangement further including means for moving the secondlatch means cam member to a position, relative to the second latch meansbolt member, to engage the first latch means locking member cam followersurface and move the first latch means locking member into an unlockedposition prior to withdrawal of the second latch means bolt member fromthe lockingmember engaging position

1. A vehicle door latching assembly for securing a vehicle door in aclosed position on a vehicle cab, comprising: first latch means andsecond latch means, the first latch means including a locking membermovable between a latched and an unlatched position, and the lockingmember having a cam follower surface and a latching surface spaced fromsaid cam follower surface, the second latch means including a carriermember, and a cam member mounted on said carrier member, the cam memberhaving leading and trailing cam surfaces aligned to respectively engagesaid first means locking member cam follower surface upon relativeconverging and diverging movements between said first and second latchmeans for moving said locking member between the latched and unlatchedpositions, said second latch means further including a latch boltmounted on said carrier member spaced from said cam member and having abolt surface mateably engaging the latching surface of said lockingmember in the latched position.
 2. A vehicle door latching assemblyaccording to claim 1 wherein said first latch means further includesguide means for directing the movement of said locking member andbiasing means for urging said locking member into the latched position.3. A vehicle door latching assembly according to claim 2 wherein saidbiasing means is a spring.
 4. A vehicle door latching assembly accordingto claim 2 wherein said second latch means further includes means formovably mounting said cam member on said carrier member.
 5. A vehicledoor latching assembly according to claim 4 wherein said mounting meansincludes biasing means for urging the caM member into an extendedposition relative to said latch bolt.
 6. A vehicle door latchingassembly according to claim 1 wherein said first latch means includes ayoke defining said latching surface and said second latch means includesa channel defining said bolt surface to cooperate with said yoke.
 7. Avehicle door latching assembly according to claim 1 wherein said secondlatch means further includes means for rigidly mounting said cam memberon said carrier member.
 8. A vehicle door latching assembly according toclaim 7 wherein said second latch means further includes means forconnecting said cam member to said carrier member to permit limitedmotion relative to said carrier.
 9. A vehicle door latching assemblyaccording to claim 1 wherein said latching assembly further comprisestool-engageable means on said carrier member for use in manually movingsaid cam member from the latched to the unlatched position.
 10. Avehicle door latching assembly according to claim 1 wherein said lockingmember is a plate and wherein said plate is provided with a first andsecond aperture therethrough defining respectively said cam followersurface and said latching surface.
 11. A vehicle door latching assemblyaccording to claim 10 wherein said cam surfaces are conical to cooperatewith the edges of said first aperture.
 12. A vehicle door latchingassembly according to claim 11 wherein said cam surfaces are oppositelytapered.
 13. A vehicle door latching assembly according to claim 1including first sensor means adapted to sense the location of saidlocking member in its latched position, and second sensor means adaptedto sense the location of said latch bolt in a latched position, andmeans interconnecting the first and second sensor means with the vehicleto prohibit motion of the vehicle unless the locking member and thelatch bolt are both located in their respective latched positions.
 14. Avehicle door latching arrangement for securing a vehicle door in aclosed position on a vehicle cab, comprising first latch means andsecond latch means, bi-actutable power means for moving said first andsecond latch means relatively convergently and divergently, the firstlatch means including a locking member movable between a locked and anunlocked position and having a latching surface and a cam followersurface, the second latching means having a locking member-engaging boltmember and a cam member movable through a limited range of motionrelative to but spaced apart from the bolt member, the second latchfurther including means for moving the cam member to a position,relative to the bolt member, to engage the locking member cam followersurface and move the locking member into an unlocked position prior tolocation of the bolt member in its locking member-engaging position whenthe power means is actuated to move the first and second latch meansconvergently, and means for moving the cam member to a position,relative to the bolt member, to engage the locking member cam followersurface and move the locking member into an unlocked position prior towithdrawal of the bolt member from the locking member-engaging positionwhen the power means is actuated to move the first and second latchmeans divergently.
 15. A vehicle door latching arrangement for securinga sliding vehicle door in a closed position on a vehicle cab, comprisingfirst latch means and second latch means, the first latch meansincluding a locking member movable between a locked and unlockedposition and having a latching surface and a cam follower surface, thesecond latch means having a bolt member oriented for movement into andout of a locking position for engagement by the locking member latchingsurface and a cam member movable through a limited range of motionrelative to the bolt member, the latching arrangement further includingmeans for moving the second latch means cam member to a position,relative to the second latch means bolt member, to engage the firstlatch means locking meMber cam follower surface and move the first latchmeans locking member into an unlocked position prior to withdrawal ofthe second latch means bolt member from the locking-member engagingposition.